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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28903347">daffodils</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/syilca/pseuds/syilca'>syilca</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Post War, Post-Timeskip | War Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 10:36:31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,220</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28903347</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/syilca/pseuds/syilca</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>[sylvgrid big bang]</p>
<p>five years is a long time, isn't it?</p>
<p>Sylvain is reckless and Ingrid is not okay with that.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ingrid Brandl Galatea/Sylvain Jose Gautier</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Sylvgrid Big Bang</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>daffodils</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Yahoo! My first sylvgriid fic, hope you enjoy! I had the pleasure to work with artist Bringmemisery (twitter), so please be sure to check out their wonderful art!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ingrid had never been outside by the pond at night. Despite the lack of presence at the Monastery for the past five years, she could still spot some fishes swimming about, gathering around her as if they were waiting for her to drop food.</p>
<p>She hummed as she eyed a dead daffodil floating across the surface of the pond water toward her, and as it grew closer, the little fishes tried to nip at it.</p>
<p>"Hm, did a bandit actually feed you this entire time or something?" she murmured curiously as she dropped bits and pieces of bread into the water. Her lips tilted up into a lopsided smile as she watched them greedily snap up at the surface to get the crumbs.</p>
<p>Ingrid chewed absentmindedly at the rest of her meal, as she let out a small sigh. It was the last night before they left the Monastery to march toward Enbarr, to end the war once and for all.</p>
<p>Once and for all…</p>
<p>She stared down at her plate of food, stopping mid-chew. It was one of her favorites—pheasant roast with berry sauce—and even though she had it several times over the past five years, she missed eating it here, at the Monastery.</p>
<p>Five years.</p>
<p>Her eyes fluttered shut as she inhaled and exhaled slowly—the crisp night air cooled down the panic that had sprung in her chest.</p>
<p>Five years since she died and was reborn anew—if she could meet herself from five years ago, what would she tell herself?</p>
<p>Her eyes flit over to the window, where she could see the shadows of her laughing friends inside the Mess Hall—she caught a glimpse of the Professor passing by the door, whispering to someone that Ingrid couldn't see.</p>
<p>Among the chaos and dissent in Faerghus, she had only seen her classmates in whispers: in glimpses of broken windows, in the imprint of footsteps against the soft snow, in the memories of flickering candlelights.</p>
<p>Her eyes misted over, but she blinked it away as she stared back down at the fishes.</p>
<p>"We'll be fine," she whispered to herself, grabbing a pheasant leg. She ripped a hefty piece out of it with her teeth. She needed to eat, she needed energy, if she was going to protect them. She'll make up for all those lost lives, and this time… this time<em> no one</em> else will die.</p>
<p>"If you eat that fast you're gonna choke, you know."</p>
<p>Ingrid jumped at his voice, almost dropping the leg into the pond water.</p>
<p>She glared at him.</p>
<p>"Sylvain," she grumbled, promptly dropping it back onto the plate as she reached for her napkin. "You know you shouldn't sneak up on me while I'm eating."</p>
<p>He laughed heartily as he took a seat next to her, his smile reaching from ear to ear. "I forgot how engrossed you get when you're eating."</p>
<p>She clicked her tongue in feigned annoyance as she wiped her hands. "Why are you out here?"</p>
<p>"Why arent you inside with everyone else?" He replied back without missing a beat. Typical—answering her question with another question. "The Professor has been shooting worried glances at you ever since the start of dinner." He pat his stomach in satisfaction with such a comfortable, content smile that Ingrid wanted to siphon some of his relaxed, carefree aura to herself too.</p>
<p>Because with each passing second the knot in her gut had been tightening, ever since this morning.</p>
<p>"I just needed some fresh air," Ingrid said simply. She leaned back on her hands and looked up at the stars. It would've been comfortable, if she didn't feel his undivided attention on her. He made no effort to hide that he was actively staring at her.</p>
<p>"What is it?" Ingrid glanced at him. He's been like this a lot, ever since they reunited. He just… stared at her for minutes without saying anything sometimes. And when she would point it out, he would blink and that weird, far-off gaze of his would disappear. She always wondered how the inner cogs in his head worked, and at some point, she thought she had figured it out. And then her effort went down the drain along with those five years apart.</p>
<p>"It's just nice that we can talk like this again," he said with a shrug.</p>
<p>Their last moments together were still fresh in her mind—being torn apart from one another by the onslaught of Imperial troops. She had never seen his brown eyes, usually filled with laughter, look so dark and desperate as his hand lost grip on her arm. She knew he had always held his grief in a locked box, but in that moment, it had spilled out for her to see in full view, and she could do nothing.</p>
<p>After the Battle of Garreg Mach, she came back to the Monastery at night, and cried in relief when she couldn't find his body—and none of her other classmate's bodies—amongst the corpses that lay rotting.</p>
<p>"If you look at me with such wistful eyes I might bite you."</p>
<p>Ingrid blinked, unfazed. "Are you really trying to practice your flirting techniques on me right now? Don't tell me you're going to try to flirt your way through Enbarr?" she scoffed, punching his arm. "You really have gotten weirder over the past five years."</p>
<p>"Hm," he said, tilting his head at her as if he was in deep thought. "Really?"</p>
<p>"I would've thought your flirting skills would've improved after all this time, but when you asked me about my make-up—"</p>
<p>"Okay, okay, I've heard enough!" Sylvain chanted as he placed a hand over her mouth. "It's been a long time since I last saw you!"</p>
<p>Ingrid laughed as she pulled his hand away. "That explains <em>nothing</em>—"</p>
<p>"I just wanted to know if the guy you liked deserved your—"</p>
<p>"You're deluding yourself if you think I'm wearing make-up for some man," Ingrid scoffed, looking at his hand. The closest thing she had to a romantic partner was her lance, which was dutifully by her side every day for as long as she could remember.</p>
<p>Since Glenn.</p>
<p>Ingrid tightened her hold on Sylvain's hand.</p>
<p>"Don't be careless tomorrow," Ingrid demanded quietly, her eyebrows knitting together as she brushed her thumbs over the callouses dotting his skin. There were a lot more than she remembered.</p>
<p>"You should worry about yourself."</p>
<p>"I appreciate the concern," she said, raising her eyes to meet his gaze. "But you and I both know that I'm more than capable of taking care of myself."</p>
<p>He frowned at her.</p>
<p>"I don't intend to drop dead tomorrow," she said with an easy smile, releasing a hand to reach for her cup of wine. When she raised it to offer some to him, he was still frowning. "I can protect myself, and I will protect you too." She thought her words would've reassured him, but instead, it seemed to… do the exact opposite. He looked away from her.</p>
<p>"You've always been like that Ingrid," he muttered with a twinge of annoyance. "Always thinking about others. Haven't you learned to take care of yourself these past five years?" His words were sharp—she knew him well enough that his words bore no ill intention toward her, but it bothered her all the same.</p>
<p>"Of course I have." Ingrid dropped his hand and pressed her palm against her chest. "I <em>always</em> have. Why do you think I've always trained relentlessly for?" She always put herself first so that… so that she could protect everyone. Protect <em>him</em>.</p>
<p>He didn't look at her, and simply glared at the fishes swimming around them as if it was their fault.</p>
<p>She didn't want to see another familiar face in the aftermath of destruction—no, she couldn't. She would never let that happen, never let that future ever come into the light.</p>
<p>"Then for my sake, stay where I can see you tomorrow." His hand hovered over her cheek, but instead, he placed it on her shoulder instead, squeezing. "When we reach Enbarr, stick by me. Please."</p>
<p>The light from the Mess Hall flickered against the side of his face as he stared at her.</p>
<p>"Okay," she whispered, nodding. "I will."</p><hr/>
<p>The tip of the lance hissed passed her head, grazing her ear, as she ducked just mere seconds before it swiped the spot where she had just been. She swung the butt of her own lance toward the solider, causing him to rear back just enough for Sylvain to swoop in. He knocked the mounted soldier off his horse with the Lance of Ruin, the blade piercing through the cavalier as he fell. Sylvain's shoulders heaved up and down, with blood dripping down his armor, splattering the silver a dull red.</p>
<p>"Are you okay?" he asked, his breath coming out short and fast.</p>
<p>Ingrid gave a stiff nod, exhaling as she regained her position. "Thanks," she said breathily, shaking her head. She had to focus.</p>
<p>She knew it would be bad in Enbarr, especially breaking into the heart of it, but the amount of enemies spilling toward them seemed endless.</p>
<p>The Professor stood close by them, swinging her sword smoothly, as if it were an extension of her own arm. But despite her natural talent, Ingrid could spot beads of sweat rolling down her skin—a sight she had never witnessed before, not until now. The Imperial Army had begun slowly closing in on them, spilling from an entrance across the throne, advancing at a pace that was hard to keep up with.</p>
<p>"Everyone, stay close!" The Professor's strong voice cut clear through the cries and shouts of the battle. A surge of energy bloomed inside Ingrid—she would fight until the very end, alongside everyone.</p>
<p>"They keep coming from underground—someone needs to hold off the area or else well be pinned over here until they finally wipe us out," Dimitri grunted, sending another ten soldiers flying through the air with the might of his lance.</p>
<p>They needed to be quick, concise. Ingrid knew they wouldn't hold out for long, not like this.</p>
<p>"Watch my back!" Ingrid launched toward the opening on her wyvern without a moment's hesitation. It was a simple solution—she could get there quicker than the others, and could dodge the fastest among them.</p>
<p>"Ingrid!"</p>
<p>Before she could fly away though, a hand roughly grabbed her shoulder, whipping her back. The wyvern halted as Ingrid tightened her grip on the strap of the harness before she could fall off the sadle.</p>
<p>"You can't just charge in there!" Sylvain said, his voice hoarse and dry. "We stick <em>together</em>."</p>
<p>Ingrid tensed, guilt bloomed inside her like an ugly disease.</p>
<p>"There's too many in the path, you'll be—"</p>
<p>"If there's one thing I'm confident in, it's protecting you." Despite the blood running down his cheek, the fatigue that ran through his veins, he still offered her that familiar sweet, reassuring smile of his.</p>
<p>"Do <em>not</em> act rashly! Felix and I will take the rear—Dedue, lead the front. Sylvain and Ingrid, make sure you defend the blindsides!" the Professor shouted, slicing her way toward them. "The rest of you must try to take out the black mage to the right, and stay close to one another!"</p>
<p>The Blue Lions shouted in unison, a battle cry loud enough to shake the roots of Enbarr itself, as they spilled into position.</p>
<p>Ingrid had stopped keeping track of how many men and women had fallen from them—one thought surged her forward and kept the bloodlust boiling within her from running thin: to keep the ones dear to her safe. She would not let any one of their blood run dry, no matter what.</p>
<p>The one to break her from her fervent stupor were the cries from Edelgard—the closer they got to her, the more Ingrid could make out the anguished desperation of her large, mishappen figure. Pain tinged at her heart to see one of her former peers turn into something so grotesque.</p>
<p>Edelgard's black eyes pierced straight at them, cracking the courage that Ingrid had felt was indomitable mere seconds ago.</p>
<p>"Something is coming toward us!" Dedue bellowed, straining his shield up from the onslaught of enemies.</p>
<p>The Professor slew down the last enemy who had lingered behind them and flitted her head toward the direction Dedue was pointed at—her normally blank eyes steeled at the sight of Edelgard extending her elongated arm hurling forward.</p>
<p>Ingrid grit her teeth as she halted her wyvern—</p>
<p>Before any of them had time to register what Edelgard was doing, she had swung her dark arm forward—it sped toward them faster than they could blink.</p>
<p>Unable to track its path, Dedue braced himself, but it whizzed past the top of his head, in direct line of—</p>
<p>Ingrid's breath hitched in her throat as she leaned back instinctively, seeing the dark, condensed orb aimed directly at her.</p>
<p>The air around her sparked, as if electricity had filled the air, and the ends of her hair stood as a shout of despair bubbled from her throat. She lifted her hand to her face in a vain attempt to block it, biting down hard enough for her lips to bleed as her body tensed.</p>
<p>In a flash, the darkness was replaced by a fiery orange all too familiar, <em>Sylvain</em>—</p>
<p>The orb collided with him, flinging him off his horse. He barreled straight into Ingrid as she tumbled off her wyvern from the impact. She instinctively wrapped her arms around him, breaking his fall as they plummeted toward the ground.</p>
<p>Her breath knocked out of her as her back slammed against the marble floor, her mind swimming, unable to register what had just happened. Her blood rushed toward her ears—roaring, muting whatever the Professor was shouting about.</p>
<p>She gasped as she realized her arms were still tightly wrapped around Sylvain's' limp body, heavy against her own. She was half expecting him to suddenly sit up, to smile at her as he made some ludicrous joke about being on top of her, but he didn't.</p>
<p>Ingrid grunted as she rolled over, switching positions. Her hand was placed on either side of his face as she stared down at him, fear running through her veins as she helplessly watched the blood drip down his face.</p>
<p>Her mouth moved, but she couldn't hear her voice. Dark spots swam in her vision as she shook him again and again, screaming until her voice bled his name.</p><hr/>
<p>Daffodils remind Ingrid of the sun—bright and hard to stare at for too long. It was perfect for Sylvain. She grabbed a handful that was scattered around the field, dutifully blowing away the dirt from the bright yellow petals.</p>
<p>"Need help?"</p>
<p>Ingrid turned around to see the Professor holding out her hand, staring at Ingrid with those bright green eyes. Ever since the Professor came back, she was different in various ways that Ingrid couldn't put into words, but her attentiveness to her student's well-being hadn't changed.</p>
<p>"Ah, Professor…" Ingrid shuffled nervously on her feet. "Um—" Before Ingrid could finish, she took the flowers out of her hand.</p>
<p>"You should be resting," she said, her voice almost chiding. She flicked away the specks of dirt with focused precision. "You're not fully healed yet either."</p>
<p>"This is nothing." Ingrid raised her cast up briefly, sighing as she glanced down at it. It was more bothersome than anything. A broken arm shouldn't be something she should take lightly, but... staying outside proved better for her mental state.</p>
<p>"Ingrid," the Professor said softly, catching her attention. Ingrid looked up at her, startled by how focused the Professor was on her. "You shouldn't hold it in."</p>
<p>"I'm not holding anything in," Ingrid said with a stiff smile, keeping her voice light. "I'm just… I think he'll like these flowers." Maybe it'll wake him up. He hates the color yellow, so he'll wake up and tell her how awful she was at choosing which flowers to give to him.</p>
<p>"Come on." The Professor handed the daffodils back to her. "He'll want to see you when he wakes up."</p>
<p>Ingrid cracked a smile.</p>
<p>As they trailed down the hill, she stared down at the face of the daffodils—they seemed to be smiling back at her, swaying softly in the light breeze. Ingrid lifted her gaze to the far-off castle. Even from the distance, it stood proud and tall. It was weird, setting foot in the same space where the four of them—Ingrid, Sylvain, Dimitri, Felix—once chased one another. She always wondered if those days would come back; carefree and content.</p>
<p>She tightened her grip on the stem of the daffodils, clutching on to it as if it were her own lifeline.</p>
<p>"Will you eat with us for dinner tonight?" the Professor asked hopefully as they neared the entrance to the castle.</p>
<p>Ingrid nodded, already heading for the direction to Sylvain's room. "It's been a while, hasn't it?" Ever since Sylvain had fallen into a coma, she spent most of her time next to him. "I'll come this time, after I give him the flowers." Ingrid cast one last smile over to her before she disappeared, taking long strides to the infirmary room.</p>
<p>She opened the door.</p>
<p>Dark and silent.</p>
<p>Quiet.</p>
<p>His soft breathing was almost inaudible, even when she stood still and tried to concentrate on it.</p>
<p>Before Ingrid sat on the chair next to his bed—which was practically her own bed at that point—she lit the candle on the table and grabbed the ribbon that she had left lying on the table next to her. She pursed her lips as she tried to wrap it around the stem of the daffodils—it wasn't the first time she'd done this, but for some reason, her fingers kept fumbling.</p>
<p>"Twist… one loop… flip…" Ingrid murmured to herself, recounting what Annette had told her. "Hm." She lifted the bundle of flowers up, frowning at how deformed the bow looked.</p>
<p>"It looks awful," a hoarse voice next to her whispered.</p>
<p>"As if you can do any better," Ingrid muttered back, glancing at the bed with a glare. She placed it back down on her lap and began undoing the ribbon.</p>
<p>"Give it to me." A hand weakly tapped on her arm, prompting her.</p>
<p>"I—" Ingrid paused, staring down at his hands.</p>
<p>She blinked once, twice, before locking eyes with him.</p>
<p>He looked terrible—as pale as snow, lips chapped, purple under his eyes—and his full concentration was trained on the daffodils in her hands.</p>
<p>"You're awake—" Ingrid swallowed, her voice shaking. "You're <em>awake</em>?" She stood up so fast the chair clattered to the ground, along with the daffodils.</p>
<p>"Hey—those are my favorite flowers!" He attempted to sit up, but groaned instead.</p>
<p>"Sylvain!" Ingrid scolded, helping him sit up. He smiled cheekily at her, and it was so full of fatigue that she almost burst into tears.</p>
<p>"I thought you hated yellow," Ingrid choked out, her hands trembling as she brushed his disheveled bangs from his eyes.</p>
<p>He hummed as he thought—he reached out to her, brushing the ends of her hair with the tip of his fingers. "No, it's been my favorite color for a while now."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Omg I had to repost this because I didn't know how to add already posted fics to a collection... anyway hope you enjoyed it LOL. Thanks for reading, I hope the year has been kind to you!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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